BHSU student business team will present at national competition

The Black Hills State University’s Enactus team will showcase its multigenerational and international projects to national leaders in the world of business during the Enactus United States National Exposition next month in Cincinnati, Ohio. Enactus team members include:pictured left to right, seated, Justin Bachelor, biology major from White River; Becca Ellis, professional accountancy major from Rock Rapids, Iowa; Katrina Schrader, business administration human resources major from Johnsburg, Ill.; Carly Neises, business administration accounting major from Dell Rapids; Ann Wilken, education major from Meadow; Sarah Coomes, business administration accounting major from Rapid City; Jesus Ramos, graphic design communication major from Spearfish; and Abbey Van Steenwyk, business administration accounting major from Sturgis; Seated, Dr. David Crawford, associate professor of accounting and co-advisor; Shelby Best, mass communication major from Joseph City, Ariz.; Dr. Bobbi Looney, assistant professor of management and co-advisor; and Laura Redle, professional accountancy major from Sheridan, Wyo.

Enactus students help teach Facebook to local senior citizens during the hands-on learning workshop. The Facebook for Retirees is one project the team will present during the national exposition.

The Black Hills State University’s Enactus team will showcase its multigenerational and international projects to national leaders in the world of business during the Enactus United States National Exposition April 1-3 in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Enactus is an international nonprofit organization comprised of a community of student, academic and business leaders who use the power of entrepreneurial action to transform lives and shape a better more sustainable world. There are Enactus teams represented throughout 1,600 universities in 36 countries with 65,000 students involved.

This is BHSU’s second time competing at the national competition. Last year, Enactus earned a regional win to advance for the first time to the national level. Since there are no regional competitions this year all teams will be presenting their projects at the national convention, according to Katrina Schrader, business administration – human resources major from Johnsburg, Ill. The competition includes several rounds that advance toward becoming the United States National Champion. The winner will move on to the Enactus World Cup in Beijing. The BHSU 10-member team will get to interact and compete with nearly 200 teams of students from every state in the U.S.

The aim of all the BHSU team’s projects is to reach across generational lines, according to Dr. Bobbi Looney, assistant professor of management. Looney and Dr. David Crawford, associate professor of accounting, are co-advisors for the Enactus team. The students have projects that benefit youth through senior citizens.

While the BHSU team has organized several community outreach projects, it will present four during the national competition: Facebook for Retirees, Firsthand College Advice Seminar for Spearfish High School students, Lisa Bike Program, and their newest venture Bee Sweet where the team invested in bee hives in Zambia to help stabilize the Zambian economy.

“We have invested in 100 hives that are being maintained by Zambian women,” Schrader said. “Honey is harvested biannually and a percentage of the revenue is given to the Zambian women.”

The team recently hosted another “Facebook for Retirees” workshop, presented by project manager Abbey Van Steenwyck, business administration accounting major from Sturgis. The workshop is designed to assist senior citizens throughout the community with social media skills and is staged in partnership with the South Dakota Center for Enterprise Opportunity. “This has been a really successful project,” Schrader said noting that their latest workshop had more than 20 senior citizens participating. Schrader said the students focus on helping the retirees protect their privacy and information on social media sites, one of the biggest concerns of senior citizens.

The Firsthand College Advice Seminar is another project that the Enactus team has done in previous years. Schrader, the project manager of the project, said the team members speak with the high school career classes about college and their future careers. “It’s a real organic conversation,” Schrader said. “We let the students gear our conversation so they get what they want out of it.”

The newly launched Lisa Bike program is a project the Enactus team took over from recent BHSU graduates Markus Heinrich and Nolan Schneider. The Lisa Bike Program is an environmentally sustainable and lower cost way to get around campus and town.Becca Ellis, professional accountancy major from Rock Rapids, Iowa, is project manager.

“We are really excited about Nationals,” said Schrader. “It’s fun coming from a small school and experiencing that kind of atmosphere.”

Schrader said the team is looking forward to featuring both new projects as well as some projects that were well-received by last year’s judges.

Besides competing, students will have an opportunity to network with peers and with corporate recruiters from major companies across the United States.

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